Bad weather is often a factor that contributes to motor vehicle accidents, including commercial truck accidents. Tractor-trailers and other heavy trucks are in many ways more susceptible to bad weather as their large size and dimensions demand careful operation and handling. Bad weather, like rain, ice, fog, snow, and high winds, can contribute to reduced visibility and handling, which increases the likelihood of truck accidents.
Suppose you have sustained serious injuries in a collision with a truck in bad weather conditions. In that case, the personal injury attorneys at Jebaily Law Firm are ready to discuss your options for pursuing compensation. Bad weather does not automatically absolve truck drivers from any fault for the accident. Truckers are required to adjust their driving for bad weather, just like all drivers on the road. Our attorneys can investigate your situation and determine whether the truck driver, trucking company, or another party bears liability.
Contact our firm today to set up a time to speak with a truck accident attorney in Florence, SC. The initial consultation is free and without further obligations.
How Weather Contributes to Truck Accidents in Florence, SC
Bad weather impacts truck drivers primarily because it reduces traction on the road. Semi-trucks and other large commercial motor vehicles weigh tens of thousands of pounds, so the tires need excellent traction to keep from sliding under the truck’s forward momentum. Even a thin layer of ice can cause sliding, and a thin layer of water can cause a truck to hydroplane.
If truck drivers do not modify their driving for the weather, they can lose control, causing them to collide with other vehicles. These risks are more pronounced on steep or winding roads where trucks constantly change direction and speed.
Bad weather can also limit trucker visibility. Trucks already have large blind spots on all four sides of the cab and trailer. Rain, fog, snow, sleet, and dust can all increase the size of a truck driver’s blind spots and reduce immediate visibility, which effectively reduces their reaction time to avoid obstacles and react to changes in traffic.
Large trucks have a much higher profile than passenger vehicles, making them especially susceptible to high winds. The operator of a semi-truck or other large truck might struggle to maintain control of the vehicle when high gusts blow across the roadway.
Common Weather-Related Risks for Truck Drivers
According to data from the Department of Transportation’s Road Weather Management Program, about 70 percent of weather-related auto accidents are due specifically to wet pavement and rainfall. Weather conditions that commonly contributed to truck crashes include:
- Heavy rain and wet roads
- Snowy and icy roads
- Gusty winds
- Fog
- Dust
- Glare from sunlight
- Extreme heat or cold
Some types of weather, like rain and snow, directly affect truck handling, while other weather has an indirect effect. For instance, extreme heat can cause heat stroke and driver fatigue, leading to an accident. Tire blowouts are also more likely in extreme heat.
Preventative Measures for Weather-Related Truck Accidents
Federal regulations require truck drivers to exercise caution and adjust their actions in hazardous conditions. Relevant practices could include:
- Driving below the speed limit
- Increasing following distances
- Using low-beam headlights in the fog
- Slowing down before taking turns
- Avoiding pools of standing water
- Double-checking blind spots
- Signaling turns early
Trucking companies are required to provide specific training to drivers. If that training doesn’t cover techniques and policies for driving in bad weather and the driver causes an accident, the company could bear partial responsibility. If the trucker were an employee, the employer trucking company would be vicariously liable for the driver’s negligence.
Determining Legal Liability in Weather-Related Truck Accidents
Some people incorrectly think that if bad weather causes an 18-wheeler accident, a personal injury lawsuit against the driver or trucking company is off the table. That is not true, however, as truck drivers can still be responsible for negligent actions that caused the accident, even if the weather was a contributing factor.
Truckers are not responsible for bad weather, but they are responsible for how they react to it.
Commercial truck drivers must take reasonable steps to ensure safe operation in bad weather. Failing to take reasonable precautions in bad weather can count as negligence and expose the driver and trucking company to liability if they cause an accident.
For instance, if a truck driver goes too fast, hits standing water, and loses control from hydroplaning on the road, they could still be liable for any accident as they should have modified their speed based on the weather conditions.
Bad weather compounds poor decisions on the part of a truck driver, such as the choice to speed, drive while distracted, or follow other traffic too closely.
Determining liability for a weather-related truck accident involves analyzing the causes and establishing whether the crash was avoidable. If you can demonstrate the accident that harmed you was due to someone else’s negligence, you can pursue a claim for financial compensation.
How Weather-Related Factors Impact Insurance and Legal Claims
The presence of weather-related factors can complicate insurance claims as insurers will look for reasons to avoid paying compensation. In these cases, gathering sufficient evidence of truck crashes in bad weather is key. The injured party must demonstrate that the truck driver failed to take reasonable precautions in bad weather to avoid a collision. To that end, our attorneys can rely on several sources of evidence, including weather data, physical evidence, traffic camera footage, and eyewitness testimony.
Our attorneys can also seek data from the truck’s electronic logging device for information on the truck’s speed, steering inputs, and braking during the accident. Weather complicates truck accident claims, but our skillful attorneys can still hone in on driver negligence or equipment failures that played a key role in the accident.
How Our Florence Truck Accident Lawyers Can Help You
The attorneys at Jebaily Law Firm have over 75 years of collective experience working with personal injury claims involving weather conditions and truck accidents. We have secured millions of dollars in compensation for personal injury victims in Florence and surrounding areas of South Carolina.
We stand ready to thoroughly investigate the accident and build a compelling narrative demonstrating the trucker’s fault and the full extent of your injuries. When we are on the job, you can count on effective and compassionate legal representation.
Contact us online or call today for a free case consultation with a Florence truck accident attorney at Jebaily Law Firm.
